I'm thinking about converting my turn signals and the taillight to LED. I've seen LED bulbs that one probably can just plug into the connector. But I don't know if they will fit. I've seen LED #1156 and #1157 amber and red. Will this work?

How do you convert the ‘dash’ lights to LED?

I think the bulbs are the same and should work.
Look in the links section for dash light upgrade.

A couple of things to think about for LED conversion. Your flasher will probably need to be changed to an electronic version because the LED's will not draw enough to make it flash. Also, LED's are very directional and if not viewed straight on, they are not real visible. I would consider adding additional LED lighting to your existing setup to augment what you have. Then you will have better visibility instead of worse. And the flasher you have now will still work.

2fast - thanks! I was just going to mention that! Thermal flashers get tripped by voltage causing them to heat up... the voltage for the stock bulbs heats them up quickly - makes the bimetalic strip bend and breaks the circuit... that quickly cools and the strip touches again causing the light to come back on.

The really low voltage LEDs won't draw enough current to get the strip to heat and turn the lights off...

You will need to replace the flasher unit as 2fast has stated it your bike has a thermal flasher. I'm almost certain it does.

What you might use is an LED cluster... I have seen some posted that might even slide nicely inside the old package.

Cheers,
woot.

Tried LED bulbs in my 900 Seca. They were extremely dim, no matter how you looked at them. They were 1157 plug in types, so no mods were necessary. If there are newer types with Ultrabright WHITE LED's in them, they may be a better bet, but I was not impressed with the red ones I bought at all. I chucked them for some regular bulbs.

I don't have any personal experience, but someone posted the other day that you must match the bulb color to the lens color, red bulb -red lens, amber bulb-amber lens. He said that they wouldn't work other wise.

Snosherrif,

If this thread is already in progess, let me know, but I couldn't find anything soley dedicated to the topic...so here it goes.

I am in the process of upgrading the lighting on my XJ. My goal is to make myself more visible and lower the current amp draw so I can install an H4 headlamp upgrade (the round upgrade found at JP Cycle - 7" Halogen Headlight Upgrade

So far I have replaced my panel lights with LED bulbs. Since only two are on all of the time, I've roughly shed 6 watts, or 1/2 an amp.

On the down side, I installed 1157's on all of my turn signals so they are running lights, so I gained 32 watts, or 2 amps.

So at the moment I'm down 1-1/2 amps.

So the converting the license plate light (8w) and the tail/brake light (8w/27w) gains me 16 watts, or 1-1/4 amps. So I'm down by 1/4 amp.

Oh, so I forgot to mention, I need to drop 10w or almost an amp to break even on the upgrade.

So the big savings will come in converting my turn signal/running lights (32w or 2 amps) to LED.

Now, LED clusters are a dime a dozen. I'm leaning towards Custom Dynamics 1.85" 1157's.

I know there are issues with the flasher and the auto-cancelling unit, and that is where this forum will come in handy. Electronic flashers solve the flasher problem, but the auto-cancelling is more difficult.

I also know that if you place the load resistors across each cluster, you can keep all of your original flasher/auto-cancelling, but you are back to drawing current, albeit if done correctly, less than what you started with, but not capturing the true efficiency of the LED's.

There are electronic boxes out there that do all of this, but it appears that the Yamaha turn signal switch isn't set up for it.

So what has the folks on this list doing to overcome these obstacles - money being no object.

singingotter wrote:

If this thread is already in progess, let me know, but I couldn't find anything soley dedicated to the topic...so here it goes.

Merging topics...

Thanks Snosherrif!

Anyhow...the dashlights I ordered are from SuperBrightLED's

Make sure you specify the 12v type. I think they are BA9's. They should arrive in a nother day or two, so I'll give a report then.

I'm looking at Custom Dynamics Custom Dynamics for my rear tail/brake light upgrade. They make an 1157 that is 1.85" in diameter and has 48 LED's. It's not cheap, but I've seen one in action and it is brighter than the 1157 incandescent. You remove the reflector and either mount it in the socket, or make a small mount to move it closer to the lens. Don't know which one will work best until I get it.

I'm still concerned about converting the turn signals. I know I have to go to an electronic flasher, but how does it effect the auto-cancelling part of the circuit?

And...I just came across the HID headlight upgrades. They are only 35w and put out three more times light than an H4 bulb. They are more efficient and not cheap! $200. Has anyone found and installed a conversion kit that will fit a 1981 XJ650H?

Thanks!

Michael

The cluster I am going with for my turn signal lights are the Custom Dynamics three way. It fits into the turn signal lens and provides a full intensity amber turn signal, half intensity red running light, and full intensity red brake light. I also have a Back-Off LED license plate wired to the brake light. I have also added two amber LED clusters under the front fork reflectors for better side visibility, and will likely add two more to the grab rails on the rear. I too like to be seen.

An LED cluster is less likely to burn out than a standard incandescent light bulb. In fact, with the addition of your brake flasher, you have increased the chances that yours will burn out. The LED clusters have a better chance of outliving the bike, and even myself. With efficiency comes longevity. They also come on immediately where incandescent bulbs take longer to reach full output. Granted, it's in 10th's of a second, but every 10th counts when you're hoping the guy behind you will always see you and stop.

I read somewhere recently that due to the distraction, some motorists are complaining about the newest custom brake flashers on motorcycles, and since the electronics industry can't leave well enough alone, they are coming out with ones that are programable for the cafe racers that are extremely annoying. I'm OK with the type that give three flashes and then go steady - similar to what you have in the video, but the flashers that keep on flashing to some unknown beat while you're stuck two minutes at a traffic light could be construed as annoying. Especially when it is a group of cafe racers - it looks like you're coming up on an accident scene - very effective, but annoying. The last thing I want to annoy is a two-ton cager.

YMMV

I posted this in the Voltage Output thread, but it is relavent here, so i'll cut n paste...


Another way to lighten the load on the electrical system is to install LEDs in your turn signal, brake, and panel lights. The stock 1156 bulbs (turn signals) use 23 watts apiece, the 1157 bulbs (brake/tail) use 9 watts for the tail plus 23 watts for the brake, and the 194 bulbs in the panel use 7 watts apiece (1 per gauge, plus one for each indicator). So if you have your brakes on, turn signal on, and lets say you have the high beam on in neutral, that's 145 watts being drawn. (23W x 2 for the turn signals, 23W x 2 for the brake lights, 9W x 2 for the tail lights, 7W x 2 for the gauge lights, and 7W x 3 for the indicators [high beam, turn, and neutral]). That's a LOT of juice for a little generator..

The LED replacements for these bulbs all use less than 1 watt apiece. So in the same scenario, with LED's you would be using less than 11 watts. Using less power there not only means there's more power for your headlight, (you won't see it dim out when the turn signal is on or you hit the brakes) and the ignition, but it also takes a tremendous load off the alternator. It will last longer, AND, it doesn't take as much engine power to spin a lightly loaded alternator as it does a fully loaded one.

These are the LEDs I used for turns/tails..


They are available in red and amber, 1156 and 1157 sockets. I got them off ebay for $15 each. (search 1156 LED)


And these are the gauge cluster/indicator lights...


They come in all colors, plus white, and go for abut $5 each (depending on the color. Make sure you get the 4 or 6 LED versions to make it bright as possible. For the gauge lights, I used white, but keep in mind there's a yellow color gel molded into the gauge face. So other colors like red or blue might not show through. Because white LED light has a lot of UV, I painted my gauge needles with fluorescent orange paint, which makes them light up and its much easier to see.


If you are replacing the turn signals, you will have to buy an electronic flasher, because the LEDs will not put enough load on your stock flasher to make it flash. Downside to this is you will lose the auto-cancelling system (unless someone knows what part the flasher plays iin that system and can share what to do to bypass it). But otherwise it is just a standard 2-prong plug in plus a ground wire. If you have the XJ750 with the computer, replacing the tail lights will trigger the TAIL warning. This is a simple fix (but it involves removing the gauge cluster), you just solder a jumper between 2 contacts on the PC board (same fix to kill the HEAD warning if you install headlight relays).

**EDIT: Oh yeah, I forgot two very important things.. First, you CAN NOT put a white LED behind a color filter. It is NOT true white light, and it will not shine through at all! With LEDs, you MUST put the correct color behind the lens (red behind red, amber behind amber, etc.). And second, it seems like a lot of money to spend on bulbs, but remember one thing - LEDs never burn out. They're not vulnerable to heat, vibration, oil on your fingers, or moisture. So these are the last bulbs you will ever have to buy.

-----------

The 1156/1157 LED modules that I mentioned are VERY effective in the light housings in our bikes. They fire 360 degrees, plus out the top end, so the light completely fills the lens in all directions. It also fires into the housing reflector, throwing even more light out of the lens. In the brake housing, I lined the 'non reflective' part with mylar to give it just that much more. My tail/brake light and turn signals are very brightly visible from hundreds of feet away, even in direct sunlight.

-Matt

singingotter wrote:

The cluster I am going with for my turn signal lights are the Custom Dynamics three way. It fits into the turn signal lens and provides a full intensity amber turn signal, half intensity red running light, and full intensity red brake light. I also have a Back-Off LED license plate wired to the brake light. I have also added two amber LED clusters under the front fork reflectors for better side visibility, and will likely add two more to the grab rails on the rear. I too like to be seen. An LED cluster is less likely to burn out than a standard incandescent light bulb. In fact, with the addition of your brake flasher, you have increased the chances that yours will burn out. The LED clusters have a better chance of outliving the bike, and even myself. With efficiency comes longevity. They also come on immediately where incandescent bulbs take longer to reach full output. Granted, it's in 10th's of a second, but every 10th counts when you're hoping the guy behind you will always see you and stop. I read somewhere recently that due to the distraction, some motorists are complaining about the newest custom brake flashers on motorcycles, and since the electronics industry can't leave well enough alone, they are coming out with ones that are programable for the cafe racers that are extremely annoying. I'm OK with the type that give three flashes and then go steady - similar to what you have in the video, but the flashers that keep on flashing to some unknown beat while you're stuck two minutes at a traffic light could be construed as annoying. Especially when it is a group of cafe racers - it looks like you're coming up on an accident scene - very effective, but annoying. The last thing I want to annoy is a two-ton cager. YMMV

WARNING! SCIENCE CONTENT! (Sorry, I love Mythbusters! )

You are absolutely right about the 'turn-on' time of incandescent bulbs. I can't find the link right now, but there were actually several studies done, and the difference in driver reaction times to LED versus incandescent bulbs is astounding. (in fact, I don't understand why LEDs aren't standard equipment on all new cars!) LEDs caused drivers to react a whole 1/4 of a second or more faster than incandescants. But this is not JUST because of the fact that LEDs go to full intensity immediately...

What they found is that the 'instant-on' intenstity of LEDs triggers the "STOP!" reaction through a completely different set of nerves than an incandescent bulb does. These are high-speed nerves that are normally only used when the 'Fight or Flight' reaction is triggered by a threat of harm.

Now, while 1/4 of a second doesn't seem like anything, at 60MPH (88 feet per second), 1/4 of a second translates into 22 FEET LESS that it would take the driver behind you to come to a complete stop. When you're on a bike, this could mean the difference between life and death. These reaction times are bettered even further by using a pulser in conjunction with LEDs -- up to 3/8 of a second better than incandescents. But I agree, 3 pulse flashers are very effective (most of the new ambulances/firetrucks around here have them) -- continuous flashers are friggin annoying.

Just some more food for thought!

-Matt

TaZMaNiaK and I have kind of eluded to something, but maybe haven't made it clear enough: if you use load resistors to make your OEM flasher and auto-cancelling system work, you've not gained anything in terms of lowering the drain on your alternator.

The load resistors duplicate the same resistance effect the lightbulb filament creates, therefore, you draw the same current. There are different amp versions - 2, 3, & 4 that you could play with to see how low you can go before the flasher won't work - and thereby reducing some of the current draw, but it will be so close to the original that you won't really be gaining much.

The key to lowering the power drain so you can go to a brighter headlamp (my goal) is to use an electronic flasher, preferably one for LED's (they usually will work down to .03 amps). And as TaZMaNiaK and I pointed out, the auto-cancelling relay will no longer work. I am trying to understand why and see if I cannot come up with a non-draw solution. There are solutions out there by Back-Off which replaces the flasher and the auto-cancelling relay for $100 - kinda steep after replacing your bulbs with LED's.

OK...my LED's from SuperBrightLEDs came in. Even though it's below freezing outside, I already had the instrument cluster apart, so I switched out the bulbs, crossed my fingers and fired her up (OK, so I had to put the charger on her and give her a shot of ether, but I know what it takes to get her started when she's cold ). I am impressed. I know alot about LED's, and I thought the 4 LED cluster that SuperBrightLEDs sells would match what was there before, and maybe a little bit more, and boy did they deliver!

By replacing 6 bulbs on my 1981 XJ650 I've saved an average of 12 watts while driving (if the brights are on) that's roughly 1 amp! That's 12 watts I can now add to my headlamp (on upgrade of course).

I think my order for the instrument cluster LED's (including shipping) was less than $20. I bought the 4xLED BA9 bulbs.

Next is the tail/brake light and license plate light (a 16-43 watt savings).

Below is a picture taken with a Canon S400 Digital Elph with no flash in the dark.

So I'm assuming you ordered the BA9s-B4 / G4 / A4 / R4 for those centre light? I'm thinking about getting the single bulb versions to see how they do - the BA9s-B / G / A / R ones. Reason for choosing the 4 diode version?

Oh - and for the gauges - did you use the BA9s-G4's?
I'm thinking about using the BA9s-W-WV inverted lens white bulbs for the gauge illumination and see if the wide angle and side dispersion helps light up the face better.